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kffhealthnews.org
A national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues; a core program of @KFF.org. Also publishes California Healthline.
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HHS is closing half its regional offices and laying off staff. The NYC office getting the ax provided connective tissue for federal and local services, experts say, and they’re worried about the fate of programs like Head Start. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

HIV organizations are reeling from Trump's cuts. “I don’t understand how someone, with the stroke of a pen, could just haphazardly write off the health of millions,” one outreach worker told me. My latest piece @capitalb.bsky.social via @kffhealthnews.org capitalbnews.org/hiv-testing-...

Some clinics that provide abortions are closing, even in states where voters have passed some of the nation’s broadest abortion protections. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

While Big Pharma seems ready to weather the tariff storm, independent pharmacists and makers of generic drugs — which account for 90% of U.S. prescriptions — see trouble ahead for patients. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger described Kestner as a “ruthless businessman” who funded a “lavish lifestyle” by turning medical professionals into “puppets” who pressured patients into injections that did not help their pain and sometimes made it worse. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

As the country’s incarcerated population ages rapidly, thousands die behind bars each year. Incarcerated people typically have little say over the care they receive at the end of their lives. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

After a pain clinic company pressured patients into hundreds of thousands of unnecessary injections, federal prosecutors sought a prison sentence of nearly 20 years for the CEO. Instead, he got 18 months. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Incarcerated people often die while shackled to beds, separated from loved ones, and with minimal pain medication, a geriatrician focused on such patients told KFF Health News: “It’s kind of shocking” from a health care perspective. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Groups that provide healthcare and food to people without housing are losing federal funds & scaling back their work. Since I recorded this audio in Mississippi in March, the situation has grown more dire. @npr.org / @kffhealthnews.org www.npr.org/2025/05/14/n...

After the Senate HELP committee hearings, correspondents @julierovner.bsky.social, @stephaniearmour.bsky.social, and @dariustahir.bsky.social, along with Senior Vice President Jennifer Kates, recapped the hearings, discussed what could come next for the department, and answered viewer questions.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Wisconsin Democrat Rep. Mark Pocan during a hearing before a House committee he thinks Americans should not be taking medical advice from him. via C-SPAN

TODAY: Mass firings, cut programs, and concerns about the country's readiness to fight health threats. HHS Secretary RFK Jr. will testify before the Senate HELP Committee to discuss structural changes to the agency. Watch our post-hearing discussion today at 4 p.m. ET: bit.ly/42RFlF8

Taxpayers have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vulnerable rural patients disconnected and without access to telehealth. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Tomorrow, our "Dead Zone" investigation continues. This time @caressejbskysocial.bsky.social and I take you to West Virginia to meet Ada Carol Adkins. We look at why it's taking so long to get connectivity despite billions in federal infrastructure dollars. @investigatetv.com @kffhealthnews.org

Decades of limited access have left many Black Americans at higher risk of drowning, but community-led swim lessons are helping close this dangerous health gap. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Tune in for a post-hearing discussion with KFF Health News correspondents @julierovner.bsky.social, @stephaniearmour.bsky.social, and @dariustahir.bsky.social and @kff.org's Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president and the director of Global Health & HIV Policy, on Wednesday, May 14, at 4 p.m. ET.

Update: Trump admin asks to pause the lawsuit while it reconsiders mental health parity regulations, potentially rescinding or modifying them, per court filing. In the meantime they won't enforce parts of the rule that went into effect this year. litigationtracker.law.georgetown.edu/wp-content/u...

Speaking on his executive order about lowering prescription drug prices, President Trump told reporters Monday that Americans will pay "the lowest price in the world." @julierovner.bsky.social joined @cbsnews.com's "America Decides" to discuss. ⤵️ www.cbsnews.com/video/unpack...

Budget pressures are forcing @gavinnewsom.bsky.social to consider slashing California’s Medicaid program that covers a whopping third of residents, who have low incomes or are disabled. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

RFK Jr. is set to testify before the Senate HELP Committee on Wednesday, May 14, about President Trump’s fiscal 2026 HHS budget request. Tune in for a post-hearing discussion with @julierovner.bsky.social, @stephaniearmour.bsky.social, @dariustahir.bsky.social and @kff.org's Jennifer Kates.

#MedicaidWatch brings together our policy research, public opinion data, and @kffhealthnews.org reporting about the Medicaid financing debate and related issues. Bookmark this page and check back for updates:

“Elderspeak can be controlling, kind of bossy, so to soften that message there’s ‘honey,’ ‘dearie,’ ‘sweetie,’” said Kristine Williams, a nurse gerontologist at the University of Kansas School of Nursing and another co-author of the article. Here's why it should be avoided ⤵️

News has been coming out of Washington, D.C., since the start of the second Trump administration like water out of a fire hose. It can feel impossible to stay on top of all the changes. @armandalegshow.bsky.social breaks down what you need to know. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

Members of Congress could endanger mental health services by cutting Medicaid, says the father of an Iowan who died by suicide. “They’re hurting the people who need help the most.” kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

A South Dakota woman planned to get prenatal care and deliver her baby 10 minutes from home, but she’s driving more than three hours round trip. More than 100 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies since 2021, resulting in tough choices for patients. buff.ly/gtDsTaV Via @kffhealthnews.org

Lining the shelves of American supermarkets are food products with chemicals linked to health concerns. To a great extent, the FDA allows food companies to determine for themselves whether their ingredients and additives are safe. Video by @hannahnorman.bsky.social youtu.be/eLx9HA5qrQk?...

Dead people in the Social Security office? Here’s what we’re watching in health care and health policy. ⤵️

Equal insurance coverage for mental and physical care? The president's decision on mental health parity rules looms. @aneripattani.bsky.social explains what's at stake for millions. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Republicans in Congress are having trouble agreeing on specific ways to save billions on Medicaid. Meanwhile, turmoil continues at HHS. @annaedney.bsky.social, @maya-goldman.bsky.social, and @sandhyawrites.bsky.social join @julierovner.bsky.social on #WTHealth to discuss these stories and more ⤵️

“Citizen oversight is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wrote to HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding answers to more than two dozen questions, including who was involved in decisions to fire staff who handled Freedom of Information Act requests.

Republicans, on the hunt for spending cuts, are eyeing a special kind of Medicaid tax that nearly every state uses to boost funding for hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that’s been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistance programs. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

New Episode Dropping tomorrow but first, one last push that rural health policy is facing some of its biggest challenges of the century. Learn what, how and why!  @julierovner.bsky.social @kffhealthnews.org

Many processed foods are made with chemicals linked to health concerns. To a great extent, the FDA allows food companies to determine whether their ingredients and additives are safe. What could go wrong? 📹 w/ @oonazenda.bsky.social for @kffhealthnews.org: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLx9...

It’s May, which means pool season is right around the corner. While swimming can be a great activity, Black Americans face disproportionately higher rates of drowning. Hear about why disparity in swim ability still exists today, and what’s being done to rectify it. wamu.org/story/25/05/...

One of the 100K+ people who lost their health insurance when Missouri slashed Medicaid in 2005 was a woman working a $6.70/hour McDonald’s job. Her ~$300/week pay put her over the stricter income limits despite supporting 3 kids. Now, congressional GOP are considering cuts that could be bigger...

Lining the shelves of American supermarkets are food products with chemicals linked to health concerns. Watch this video explainer to learn how risky chemicals get into America's food supply: kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

If Congress cuts $880 billion from Medicaid, Missouri could face a yearly shortfall of $2 billion. An early 2000s budget gap of about $2.4 billion prompted the state to drop 100,000 people from Medicaid. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

A new survey finds that more Americans are hearing false claims about measles and the vaccine that prevents it, and changes to federal health funding have advocates worried about addiction services. Katheryn Houghton delivers the KFF Health News Minute. ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

In his first term, President Donald Trump promised to end HIV in America. This time, his deep funding cuts are rolling back progress in the South. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Many thanks to SABEW for honoring my 2024 feature on how the US lost control of the bird flu. This sets the stage for a pandemic that could be worse than covid. & thanks to ace editors @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article... Our award & more: sabew.org/2025/03/2024...

When a New York physician was indicted for shipping abortion medications across state lines, it stoked fear across the network of doctors and medical clinics who engage in similar work. But some physicians vowed not to stop. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

🧵My latest: HIV testing & outreach falters in the South because of Trump’s funding cuts and DEI restrictions. “I don’t understand how someone, with the stroke of a pen, could just haphazardly write off the health off millions.” @kffhealthnews.org / @cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-e...

"At Social Security, these are the days of the living dead" Via @kffhealthnews.org for @cbsnews.com www.cbsnews.com/news/social-...

KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani gave an update on how Ohio is using its opioid settlement funds on WOSU Public Media’s “All Sides with Amy Juravich” on April 30. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

NEW: The last time Missouri's Medicaid program was strapped for cash: - 100,000 people lost their health insurance, - credit card debt went up, - debt in collections increased. Now, Republicans in Congress are considering cuts that would big even bigger and hit every state. My latest 👇

Although most abortions remain illegal in Alabama, a judge’s decision in early April allows doctors and advocacy groups to tell patients about abortion options in other states, and help with travel and other costs. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

The Trump administration's $500 million bet on old vaccine technology has puzzled vaccine and pandemic experts. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...